Small Steps
Here's what building a new habit used to look like for me:
Set an ambitious goal
Map out the daily effort into the goal
Start really excited and motivated
Give up after 2 weeks, for putting the bar way too high.
Seriously, what was I thinking when I set the goal of writing 1500 words, every day? Meditating for 30 minutes, when I never tried more than 10. Or, following a daily advanced workout-out plan, when I couldn't lift a 5 kg water-bottle?
It's funny how naive I can be when starting a new goal. It's like I immerse myself in an alternative reality, where I just ignore other responsibilities and assume I will always have time, for everything. With this, I don't want to discourage anyone from being ambitious. It's 100% possible to write 1500 words per day, meditate for 30 minutes and follow a heavy workout-plan. But first, ask yourself:
Where am I starting from?
Have you ever wrote more than an instant message? Are you meditating for 1 year already? Are you a zapping-athlete? First, understand your current position in terms of your goal, and only then decide which small step you're taking every day. You can’t reach a destination without knowing your current position.
The Compound Effect illustrates this interesting idea of building a new habit: you don't need to start really big. You just need to start, small, and become a little bit better every day. This approach has far better results in the long run than trying to improve fast in the first 2 weeks and giving up after a short period. I've been there, btw.
It also comes down to this quote:
“Insanity Is Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again and Expecting Different Results”
If you've tried to build a new habit numerous times and it's clearly not working, it helps to change the approach. If it means starting much smaller in terms of daily progress, then you should (definitely) consider it. Or, getting another accountability partner, go for it. Or, even giving up the routine and turning it upside-down.
Re-think the reasons why you want to commit to a new routine and be patient with the process. In a long-term commitment, you don’t need to rush…